1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the measurement of vibration using non-invasive, non-contact, and remote techniques; namely, multiple beams of coherent radiation are used as a probe to simultaneously measure vibrations at multiple locations on an object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) is a well-known non-contact method to measure the vibration of an object. Fields of application include: automotive, aerospace, and civil engineering; landmine detection; non-destructive testing; and non-contact sensing. LDV techniques are based on the use of an interferometer to measure the Doppler frequency shift of light scattered by a moving object. The motion of the object relative to the light source causes a shift of the light's frequency as described by the Doppler equations.
There are two interferometric methods conventionally used for LDV applications: homodyne detection and heterodyne detection. An optical quadrature homodyne interferometer is a simple design utilizing low-frequency photodetectors and amplifiers. However, the non-linear behavior of these components causes harmonic distortions of the measured signal and an overall reduction in accuracy.
The heterodyne detection method using frequency shifting techniques overcomes a number of drawbacks inherent in homodyne detection, including: (a) harmonic doubling that occurs when a source is located a multiple number of wavelengths away from the target; (b) non-linearity that occurs at vibration amplitudes on the order of the measurement radiation's wavelength; (c) a low signal-to-noise ratio caused by sensitivity to laser intensity fluctuations; and (d) inverse frequency (i.e., l/f) detector noise. Both homodyne and heterodyne LDV systems based on single-point measurement techniques have been extensively investigated and form the basis of various conventional commercial instruments.
Devices consisting of a single-beam LDV system in concert with a beam scanning system have also been developed. Scanned single-beam techniques are suitable for measuring vibrations that are repetitive (e.g., continuously cycling over the same location); however, because the measurements are made sequentially from one location to the next, the value of this technique is limited when the vibrations are transient or non-repetitive. Measurement of non-repetitive vibrations is important when analyzing civil structures, aerospace composite components, and golf clubs, as well as for buried land mine detection. While a plurality of single-beam LDV systems could be used to measure multiple locations on an object, this would be a costly and complicated option if a large number of simultaneous measurements were required.
Simultaneous measurement of multiple locations on an object is needed in order to gain more complete data on an object's vibrational characteristics. Specifically, simultaneous LDV measurements yield: (a) phase information among the measured points, (b) increased inspection speed, and (c) the ability to measure non-repetitive vibration patterns. A simultaneous multi-beam LDV system based on a homodyne interferometer design has also been investigated. However, because that multi-beam technique is based on a homodyne detection method, it is affected by the same performance limitations as the single-beam homodyne system described above.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for an LDV device that can simultaneously measure multiple locations on an object with the benefits of high signal-to-noise ratio, wide dynamic range, and high accuracy inherent with heterodyne detection.